Jim Jordan’s drive to become Speaker of the US House of Representatives is building momentum ahead of the next round of voting in the House.
The Republican has won over some opponents in his own party who didn’t support him in the last round of voting, but a handful of holdouts remain.
The Ohio congressman said on Tuesday morning he was feeling “really good” about clinching the 217 supporters he needs to lead the House.
It would be a stunning victory for the Trump-endorsed, right-wing firebrand.
Mr Jordan is a founding member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and seemed to be an outsider in the race, which began two weeks ago when Kevin McCarthy was ousted by rebels in his own Republican Party.
Without a Speaker, the House is unable to pass any bills or approve White House requests for emergency aid. That includes potential help for Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas.
Five Republicans vote against him when the count begins on the House floor at about 13:00 ET (18:00 BST) on Tuesday, that would end or delay his chances of becoming Speaker. But there could be multiple rounds of voting.
Several moderate lawmakers had previously expressed reluctance to vote for him.
Some of them, such as Missouri’s Ann Wagner and Alabama’s Mike Rogers, backtracked on Monday and declared their support.
House Armed Services Committee chairman Mr Rogers wrote on social media that the two had “productive conversations” and eventually came to agree on several policy points.
In a letter to colleagues on Monday, Mr Jordan vowed to unite his party as he scrambled to consolidate support a day before the expected floor vote.
“The principles that unite us as Republicans are far greater than the disagreements that divide us,” he wrote.
“The country and our conference cannot afford us attacking each other right now. It is time we unite to get back to work on behalf of the American people.”
Fierce resistance to Ukraine war funding among Republican hardliners, including Mr Jordan himself, contributed to the ousting of Mr McCarthy on 3 October.
But last week Axios reported that some Republicans felt Mr Jordan had signalled that, if he were to become Speaker, he would allow the chamber to vote on linking funding for Israel and Ukraine. That would likely pass with Democratic support.
There are other ways this saga could end, if Mr Jordan fails to get the votes.
Some of the anti-Jordan holdouts are currently working to suggest an alternative candidate who could get more support from the party’s centrist wing.
On Friday, it was Austin Scott, a little-known Georgia congressman who announced he was running for Speaker just hours before Republicans met to cast an internal ballot.
Mr Scott won as many as 81 votes for a bid he conceded was more about providing opposition than about winning the gavel.
If Mr Jordan fails again, more names will be floated in the coming days.
Sources: BBC, news agencies.
